Illustration
Adams Elderberry
Sambucus canadensis 'Adams'
Also called adams american elderberry
Adams Elderberry blooms from June through July.
Months here are Northern Hemisphere months; in the Southern Hemisphere, shift them by six months.
Growing Adams Elderberry
Plant it in full sun. It prefers moderate water. It is hardy in USDA zones 3–9. Expect it to reach about 8 ft tall and 7 ft wide at maturity, in roughly 4 years (a house reading).
No toxicity note is on file for Adams Elderberry. That is not a clearance: check its safety for people and pets before planting.
What was checked
Mature height and spread, hardiness zones, sun, water, bloom months and color and the trait tags were checked against named botanical sources for this plant, with what the sources could not settle written down; years to mature size rests on a recorded house rule where no publisher states one, and is marked so; its common name and alternate names have not been checked yet. Each fact above carries its own mark. The planting, spacing and size sections are derived from these checked facts by a fixed rule, not checked separately, and the plant type is the library's own classification.
When to plant Adams Elderberry
Plant Adams Elderberry in early spring as soon as the soil is workable, or in early fall at least six weeks before your first frost, so roots establish in cool weather. In zone 6, the middle of its hardy zones 3 to 9, spring means March to May and fall means August or September. Once settled, it blooms from June to July.
Month-by-month timing for your zone is on the planting calendar; if you garden near zone 6, the middle of this plant's hardy range, start with zone 6 in March. Derived from the plant's category, zones and bloom months plus typical zone frost dates, not checked separately.
How big does Adams Elderberry get?
8 fttall5 ft 7 inan adult7 ftwideSee Adams Elderberry in a garden plan: the planner shows it in 3D beside everything else you add, growing toward this size over the years.
How far apart to plant Adams Elderberry
Derived from the mature spread above by a fixed rule, not checked separately: spacing is the spread, center to center.
Space Adams Elderberry about 7 ft apart, center to center, so each plant has room to reach its full width.
Add Adams Elderberry to a garden plan and the planner draws it at its full width, so you see the spacing before you buy.
Where these facts come from
Adams Elderberry's height, spread, hardiness zones, sun, water, bloom months and color, trait tags, soil, diseases, pests and toxicity were checked against 12 published sources on September 26, 2026. Each one is linked below with every fact it carried, which can include a fact this page still marks as not yet checked, because a source carrying a value is not the same as the value being held to the standard. Facts not in that list, and the planting, spacing and size sections, are not covered by these sources.
- extension.wvu.eduWest Virginia University Extension (Elderberry)height, spread, hardiness zones, sun, water, bloom months and color, trait tags, soil, diseases and pests
- Missouri Botanical Gardenthe Sambucus canadensis SPECIES entryheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun, water, bloom months and color, soil, diseases and pests
- Plant Addictsthe store that sells the American Beauties 'Adams'height, spread, hardiness zones, sun, water, bloom months and color, trait tags, soil and diseases
- abnativeplants.comAmerican Beauties Native Plants (the grower brand, Prides Corner Farms)height, spread, hardiness zones, sun, water, bloom months and color, trait tags and soil
- starkbros.comStark Bro's Nurseries (Louisiana, Missouri)height, spread, hardiness zones, sun, bloom months and color, trait tags, soil and toxicity
- Chicago Botanic GardenGlencoe, Illinoisheight, hardiness zones, sun, water, bloom months and color, trait tags and toxicity
- onegreenworld.comOne Green World (nursery, Portland, Oregon)height, hardiness zones, sun, bloom months and color, trait tags and diseases
- University of Illinois ExtensionSelecting Shrubs for Your Homeheight, spread, soil, diseases and pests
- extension.umaine.eduUniversity of Maine Cooperative Extension (Bulletin #2580, American El...sun, bloom months and color and soil
- NC State ExtensionSambucus canadensis, species pageheight, trait tags and pests
- petpoisonhelpline.comPet Poison Helplinetoxicity
- The Morton Arboretumcommon elderberry, the Sambucus canadensis species pageheight
How the checking works, and what each standard covers, is on the verified plants page.
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Design a garden with this
Drop this plant onto a 3D plan, see how it fills in, and watch your whole garden bloom across the year.